Calf Roping

Yes, you heard correctly.

As a videographer, I'm open to just about any video job available (exceptions are listed on the about page). This includes calf roping, a rodeo event which involves trying to lasso a calf.

In the fall of 2013 I was hired on to shoot and edit calf roping videos for the Flat Tail Ranch in Bucyrus, KS, just south of the Johnson-Miami county line.

This is team calf roping we're talking about here. You have two cowboys - one is called the "header" and the other the "heeler" - set up on horseback on either side of a chute where the steer comes out. The header (to the steer's left) goes first and tries to rope the horns. The heeler (to the steer's right) follows by trying to rope the hind legs. Each attempt is very quick - up to 15 seconds each time.

The sport of team roping started as a means to restrain cattle in order to administer medicine in the event a steer got sick.

The job really was an educational one, as I learned more about the sport and the business of cattle than I would have expected. Most importantly, it was a fun experience that took me outside of my urban-suburban comfort zone.

I also learned this: cattle and horses are two types of animals you really don't want to mess around with.